Missed GP appointments in Northamptonshire during 2022 cost NHS more than £3 million, figures reveal

New NHS figures have revealed that missed GP appointments in Northamptonshire cost the health service more than £3 million in 2022.

Across Northamptonshire, 4,031,560 general practice appointments were made between January and November 2022.

Of those appointments, 127,471 - or 3.2 percent - were missed. According to NHS Digital data, these missed appointments cost the NHS £3,824,130.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Every appointment missed is taxpayers’ money wasted, and we strongly encourage patients to attend their GP appointments.

“We are incredibly grateful to GPs and their staff, whose hard work ensured that in the 12 months up to October 2022, there were around 93,000 more GP appointments every working day compared to last year.”

Nationally, a total of 346.3 million appointments have been recorded in general practice - including Covid vaccinations, over the last 12 months.

However, almost one in every 20 - or 4.7 percent - appointments were not attended by patients, equating to 14 million lost appointments in 2022 and a loss, on average, of 42,000 appointments per day.

The NHS says the average GP appointment costs £30, meaning that the missed appointments have cost the healthcare system an estimated £421 million.

An NHS spokesperson added: “Record numbers of people are being treated by the NHS with millions more GP appointments being delivered compared to before the pandemic.

“The message however to patients is clear and has not changed - it is vital that people seek care when they need it,” the spokesperson continued.